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Here's how many people are leaving California's housing hellscape for 'cheap' Reno living

Four people talk about why they moved to Reno from California within the last few years. Their reasons range from affordability and jobs. They stay because of the community and freedom they've found in Reno.

First quarter of 2018 numbers show 46.5 percent of people migrating to Reno come from the Bay Area.(Photo: Provided to the RGJ, Redfin.com)

Since January, 336 houses, or 9 percent of houses sold in Washoe County, were bought by Californians — more than any other state (besides Nevada). And of those Californian homebuyers, about one in three of them came from Silicon Valley, according to an RGJ analysis of assessor data.

"Lower taxes and more affordable housing have historically drawn Californians away from the coast to places like Nevada and Arizona,” Heidi Ludwig, an agent in Hermosa Beach, Calif., said on Redfin.com.

In total, about 45,000 people left the Bay Area from July 2016 to July 2017, according to U.S. Census net migration statistics. That number has been increasing every year.

The exodus from the Bay Area is so big that U-Haul is raising prices to compensate for demand that outstrips its supply of trucks. A 26-foot rental truck from San Francisco to Reno costs almost $1,200 on a Saturday, while a truck from Reno to San Francisco costs less than $200, according to U-Haul's online price estimator.

Go East, young tech worker: Where are Californians buying in Washoe County? This map presentation shows which neighborhoods they're going to in Reno-Tahoe and where they came from in the first place. Data provided by the Washoe County Assessor's Office. Map by Brian Duggan

So why are Californians coming to Reno?

Easy. Just spend some time on Reno social media, talk to new neighbors, coworkers or people in bars and you'll hear the same story:

Bay Area homeowners sell their house for $800,000 or more, move four hours away and buy a bigger house in Reno over asking price. Those California buyers spend an average of $772,000 on a house, almost double Reno's median house sale price, according to Washoe County Assessor data.

Then they work from home or a small office on a tech start-up or new business without much competition and enjoy all the outdoor amenities, light traffic and easygoing Western lifestyle Reno has to offer.

Which is, you know, great for them.

The continued growth of jobs promised by the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada and marketing positioning Reno as a "tech hub" and "the next Silicon Valley" will continue drawing people here, too.

CLOSE

Some things you should know before you move to Reno. We love it here, we hope you do too.

But, that's almost exactly Bay Area residents' median income. So if a they can keep a higher-paying job and work from home or sell their house for $1 million, then Reno's "affordable living," no income taxes, less competitive tech industry and bigger, cheaper houses start to look pretty nice.

So while comparing Reno to San Francisco housing prices on Facebook isn't exactly accurate dollar for dollar (or even culturally, economically or really in any way), the feeling of unaffordability can make Reno and the Bay feel similar for those residents watching prices escalate out of reach.